Let’s go way back, before the house was even finished. This will give you a better view of the wall of windows that face out to the street. I wanted to put curtain panels in the room to give it some texture and pattern, but the floor to ceiling moldings were making this difficult. Fitting a curtain rod on either side would have been hard, and in the end I decided I didn’t want to cover up any of this woodwork.Below is a view from the front door. The dining room is to the right. You can see the paint color is a little darker and it is completely open to the great room and the kitchen.So, I had the idea to surround the niche with curtains, instead of the windows. I would still get the texture and pattern I wanted, they just wouldn’t be used for opening and closing, just for looks. It’s unconventional, but I’m perfectly okay with that. You have to do what you want/love, not what is expected!The panels had to “go” with the rest of the house in order for this to work. I had six of the same IKEA panels in my basement (from the San Antonio house). They are thick, white panels with hidden tabs (29.99 for 2 panels, I think!) and they are long (98”). I figured I already had these curtains, and they were the right length, so I wanted to make them work.
Cue several online images for thick black/white striped curtains, and knew I wanted to try and DIY my own version. I love black and white, and I will never get sick of a classic stripe. I figured this look would be classic, but it would still pack a punch in the space. I was drawn to this DIY post because it was “no-sew”. So, let’s get started. To complete the striped panels, I used pre-existing white curtain panels, 3 yards of black twill fabric, a no-sew bonding agent, an iron, and black grosgrain ribbon.
I find this to be the easiest fusible tape because it is sticky on both sides and stays in place really well on the fabric (don’t forget to use your 40% coupon when purchasing this!).
Black twill fabric is inexpensive too. I also used a coupon for this.
First, you must determine how thick you want your stripes to be. My curtains were 98”, so I decided on 7 stripes that would be 14” wide. Each panel has 4 black stripes, and 3 white. Start measuring and cut all of your black pieces. You want your stripes to be straight, but the ends might be a little frayed. This is okay, as the raw edge will eventually be covered up with ribbon.
Once you have your black pieces cut, start lining up the pieces on the curtain and securing with pins 14” apart. Start at the top and work your way to the bottom. I think my black piece on the bottom ended up being shorter than the rest but they drape the ground so you can’t even tell. As you can see, I did this in the middle of my kitchen eating area. It was the only space large enough to lay everything out!
You will then use your iron to fuse the black panels onto the curtains. During this process, I put a towel under the curtain and then ironed. The curtains are too large to maneuver on an ironing board. Wrap the edges around the back and secure with the fusible webbing. You are working with stripes, so you need to make sure everything lines up. Of course, my panels are not perfect, but I did spend the time to make sure they “appear” as straight as possible.
After my first panel was completed, I lined up the two before working on the second one. Not only does each individual panel need to be even, but they work together on the wall, so you want both curtains to be even.
Once the black pieces are adhered, you will want to cover the raw edges with black grosgrain ribbon. This part is goes quickly because you are just placing it on the seams.
Give the curtains a good ironing and you are ready to put them up! This process did take me awhile. The no-sew takes longer, and I was trying to be really meticulous about keeping everything even and straight. I made these over several days, chipping away a little at a time.
The breakdown:
White IKEA Curtains (previously purchased): $29.99
Black Twill Fabric: $15.00
Grosgrain Ribbon: $4.50
Fusible Web (used 2 of these): $6.00
I ended up with two custom curtain panels for under $60. These took me a while, but they are one of my most favorite DIY projects I have ever done. They are one of the first things you see when you walk in the house and they.are.dramatic.
I chose gold/brass curtain rods for this space. I purchased two Martha Stewart rods at Home Depot for about $20 each.
How’s that for the longest post in history?! The dining room has changed some from these pictures, so I will update under the “home tour” tab when it gets a little further along.
If you want to see the entire dining room progress, you can find that post here. We have since added a vintage bar cart to the space and are currently working on a little eclectic gallery wall in the niche. Stay tuned!
Diana of Diana Rambles says
Looks nice!
Looks great, I dont think I have that much patience…Kudos to you, you did a fantastic job!!!
Wow! Those look great! You did an amazing job!!
Selene @ restorationbeauty.com
Those curtains look beautiful! Great job!!!
You did a fabulous job Andrea! I'm sure you smile every time you walk in your front door and see those beauties. You have great vision and are so fearless when tackling your projects. I love it!
Thanks, ladies, for your kind words! Thanks for stopping by! xo, andrea
That's super impressive girl! Great job 🙂
They are so beautiful…and so is your entire room. Those chairs are great too. 😉
Love them!! You did a great job!!
Love this!! Looks fantastic!!!!
xx
Emily
They look so elegant and fabulous! I love it!
These are positively stunning and look great in the room! Great Job!
Julie @ Singing Three Little Birds
http://www.singingthreelittlebirds.com
These are stunning, and totally set the mood for the room. what a great job, especially lining them up, which I am notorious for not doing well….
Come for a visit sometime…
Nancy
http://wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com
Wow! I love how bold these are, especially with the gold accent! I also love the placement of them! Great tutorial! Would love for you to share at the party! xo Bridgett
http://www.osiemoats.com/2013/02/link-up-party-3.html
Just stopping by to invite you to my link party. I would love it if you would link these curtains up. I love a bold stripe.
http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.com/
This looks fantastic! I'm so glad I found your blog. Looking forward to stopping by your blog often 😉 I'm your newest follower.
Jamie ~ Better With Age
WOW! WOW!! This is gorgeous!! great job! I hope you stop by to link to my party- http://atozebracelebrations.com/2013/02/link-party-8.html
Nancy
I am a new visitor too 🙂
Brilliant!!! They look so gorgeous – and your dining room is just stunning!
Hugs,
Suzan
I LOVE them. I need striped curtains in my dining room, like, NOW.
Thanks for sharing how you did these!
So awesome! These could be a perfect fix for my living room (I'm being very picky about what curtains I want and I haven't found any perfect ones…yet)! How did you attach the ribbon? With the same heat 'n bond as the fabric?
the bergmans-thanks for stopping by! yes, i attached the ribbon with the heat n bond as well!
I am featuring your curtains today on my blog. Thanks for linking it up. I think I might try to make these myself. This week's party starts later today, I hope that you will link up again. Thanks.
http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.com/
These look great!!
Fotini
Well done!! I love a good striped (no sew) drapes! These turned out beautifully! Very high end!
These are gorgeous! Love how easy it seems! Pinning!
Jenna @ http://rainonatinroof.com
very elegant! I love that they are no snow. And I love your "unconventional" idea of hanging the curtians around the neiche.
These are amazing! I would love for you to join the Pinworthy Projects link party! http://www.atkinsondrive.com/pinworthy-projects-link-party-week-9/
SERIOUSLY! So beautiful! I love it! Way to do such a beautiful job without any sewing!
wow!! these look so expensive and chic! you'd never guess that they weren't sewn! amazing! will be pinning. xo
-ashley
ashleyrachelle.com
You did an ABSOLUTE fabulous job! I absolutely love what you have done with your new home. Can't wait to see more. xx- Mallory
I LOVE these!!! I'm featuring it on MMM tonight
I love it. Looks great with your dining sets. Saw you from Keeping it Simple. I am a new follower.
beautiful! I did the same thing in my home, but used a black table cloth, and cheap panels I found at Ross. I have two different styles with cream and black in the same room. Yours looks beautiful.
Oh my. I love these so much! I'm moving in June and in our current home we've got plantation type blinds, so I have been hunting for interesting ideas for curtains, and these are awesome! Thanks for the inspiration! Pinned & Following 😀
Kim @ http://www.twotendesigns.com
I love your curtains. The idea of doing them scares me but you have inspired me to try it!! Thanks for the tutorial!!
Helen
Your curtains are beautiful! I'm trying the same project myself, how far down from the top did you start you first black panel?
Thanks!
Lisa C.
Hey Lisa, Sorry it has taken me a minute to respond (I have been on vacation)! My curtains have a tab top, so I started just below that on the seam, about 3 inches from the top. Hope this helps and good luck with your project!!
Hi there, just want to ask what kind of twill fabric did u use?There are different kinds at hobby lobby, did u use the stretch one?
Hello! I used a very inexpensive black cotton twill from Hancock. It was not stretch. It was sort of the same material as the IKEA curtain panels I used. Easy to work with, but not stretch. Hope this helps!
Oh my. I love these so much!http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiY41ijpzuI
Love these. I had an old pair of curtains from Ikea, but the width was 57" – what are yours? Just asking cause to make those panels I think I would need more than 3 yards.
Cassandre – My curtains are also that width. I honestly made these so long ago and didn't save my receipt, but I am pretty sure I used just about 3 yards with hardly any to spare! You might try getting a little more to be safe. Thanks for stopping by!
Excellent idea, this really caught my eye….I wanted to invite you to share this at my linky party going on now. Hope to see you there…
Christina at
SWEET HAUTE
http://sweethaute.blogspot.com/
Really, truly gorgeous, nice job! Visiting from Saavy Soutgern Style
These are great! They are very stunning– I tried a (much simplified) version for a dorm room, and it turned out pretty well! I didn't do no-sew, because in this case sewing almost seemed easier (I did much smaller curtains, so sewing them wasn't ridiculous.) Thanks for posting!
Jenn | http://www.houseofdraperyutah.com
These are so cute! I don't know how to sew but I think I can do this. I love them, they look so classy! They would go perfect in my bedroom.
http://www.roslay.com.au
Sorry to bother but what material are the white curtains
Hi I'm new to DIY .. do you need to put tape all over the black part? or just the edge? and do you have to fold the edge (on the sides) inwards and then tape them?